Thursday, September 18, 2008

Stuffed Peppers wrapped in bacon-- (Cream Cheese stuffing!) The HEB has them in the meat dept ready to grill--YUM!!!

Asian Salad

Ranch Potato Casserole

YUM!!!!

And French Silk Pie for Dessert---I'll post the recipe soon. This is my hubby's favorite ever!!!! I have been making it since college when we went to a fundraiser Dessert Fest at our church, and I bought the cookbook that year!

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Okay, I am the girl who really hates vegetables--basically of all kinds. I am trying really hard to acquire a taste for them. And I have finally learned to eat quite a few--but I have a loooong ways to go.

BUT this recipe was NOT hard at all -- I AM IN LOVE WITH IT. It became a favorite of mine tonight!!! Hubby, guests, and baby loved it too.

Probably not new to most....but I am passing it on just in case you have never tried it.

I found it at one of the BEST blogs for recipes that I have found -- Check it out!

Preheat oven 450 degrees. Beat eggs, milk, salt for pancake. Melt butter on stove in a cast iron skillet. As soon as butter is hot, pour in batter and place in oven. After 15 min lower to 350 degrees for 10 more min.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Ingredients• 1 (4 lb) top sirloin roast • whole garlic clove • 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper (or to taste) • 5 carrots, chopped into large chunks • 6 large potatoes (or as many as you like) • 1 large onion, sliced (optional) • 2-3 tablespoons fresh minced garlic (optional) • 1 (3/4 ounce) package brown gravy mix (I suggest to use low-sodium) • 1/2 cup water or beer • 2-3 tablespoons worcestershire sauce • 1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix • 1 (10 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted • 2 tablespoons fresh minced garlic (optional or to taste) • 1 (10 ounce) can cola, beverage (Coca Cola is the best for this) Directions1. Set oven to 350 degrees F (will reduce oven temperature later).2. Make small slits all over the roast then insert a garlic clove in each slit (make as many slits and use as many cloves as desired).3. Season the roast with black pepper.4. Grease a roasting pan.5. Layer the sliced onions (if using) and garlic into the bottom of the pan, then place the roast on top.6. In a medium bowl combine the brown gravy mix with water mixing into a smooth paste, then add in the onion soup mix, mushroom soup, minced garlic, cola beverage and Worcestershire sauce; mix well to combine.7. Pour the cola mixture over the roast.8. Cover and cook at 350 degrees F for about 1 hour.9. Uncover and place the carrots and potatoes around the roast.10. Reduce the oven temperature to 275 degrees F and continue cooking covered for another 2 hours.11. Remove from oven and turn the roast over, place back in oven for another 1-2 hours or until roast is tender (could take longer than 2 hours, as you are cooking at a low temperature).12. Let the roast stand for 20 minutes before slicing.

Enchilada sauce or salsa (I used 1 can of red ench sauce)1 can cream of chicken soup8 oz sour cream4 C shredded cheese (set aside 1 C for the top)2-3 # of browned ground beef w/1pkg. of taco seasoningCorn tortillas cut into 1/4s (10-12, depending on how much you like tortillas?)

Mix the first 4 items in a separate bowl to create a cheese mixture. Grease bottom if a casserole or 9X13 dish. Line bottom of pan w/tortillas. Then scoop beef over tortillas, next cover with one layer of cheese mixture. Repeat w/tortillas until you have a total of 3 layers. Top with remaining cheese. Cook for 40 minutes at 350.

We usually eat this alone but would go well with Spanish rice, we serve guacamole with it as well.

YUM! I have to say it was the best sandwich I have had in a long time!!!

We served the Hoagies with SWEET POTATO FRIES--My favorite side dish!!!

Never had Homemade Sweet Potato Fries?

So easy--cut in fry size, place in ziplock with 2 Tbsp Olive Oil and seasoning....shake it up....place on sprayed non-stick pan lined with foil---bake until desired crispness.

I think cutting a sweet potato is hard work--remember I don't do cooking well....so this time I found them in precut packages at the supermarket --- woohoo!!! The potatoes came in a cooking bag--pierce hole, microwave for 7 minutes, and then finish the cooking process in the oven for desired crispness.

I marinated chicken in the refrigerator in barbeque marinade...matt grilled it today and it was VERY yummy!

I made macaroni and cheese from scratch-recipe below...sort of! It's not very precise, but the ingredients are things we always have on hand. It is quick and easy also, so it works great for a last minute meal idea! In Oregon, we eat this as the main entree!

Sophie ate frozen peas straight from the freezer, because she prefers that to salad.

I also served it with salad (ania ate along with frozen peas) spinach, romaine, cherry tomatoes, cheese and olive oil vinegarette. (I try not to offer the creamy dressings at home.)

RECIPE:

Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients:2 cups of uncooked elbow macaroni3 cups milk1-2 regular sized bag of your favorite cheddar or mixed cheese (depending on how generous you are with your cheese layering! I use a lot of cheese!)Seasoned SaltLemon PepperFlour

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Boil 2 cups of elbow macaroni for 10 minutesScald (heat on low/med. being careful not to burn) 3 cups of milk

Spray deep square casserole dish with non-stick spray

Layer:1/2 macaroniCover macaroni with flour...not a super thick layer, just enough to cover the macaroniSprinkle with seasoning salt and lemon pepper...you'll have to experiment with this based on how seasoned you and your family like it! I probably use 2 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. lemon pepper on each layer1/2 cheeseLayer again with the macaroni ending with the cheese on top

Pour the scalded milk over the entire dish (it should cover well and less milk needed for whole wheat pasta)Bake on 400 for 30 minutes!

After eating this kind of heavy lunch, we did fruit and celery boats (celery with peanut butter) for dinner. You can even make a little sail on the boats with a toothpick and a little cheese on the end of it! Makes eating a veggie dinner more fun! :)

Heated a Wok for 3-4 min (until pan begins to smoke) then added 2 Tbsp of olive oil. Stir fried the shrimp for 2-3 min and seasoned with salt and pepper. Okay, I like my shrimp reallllly done --so I continued to cook it longer--I want them to be browned a little-weird I know. I also love a buttery taste--so I add a little country crock lite at the end. Not healthy I know.

Then I added the rigatoni to the wok and 16 oz jar of Alfredo Cream Sauce -- I used Archer Farm brand. Remember, I don't love cooking....so you can of course make your own sauce....but for me this is easy, yummy, and only 80 calories--and NOT heavy like homemade sauces!

Once it was all mixed together and steaming hot...I sprinkled Italian Seasoning VERY generously. Stir again.....

DIRECTIONSPreheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a medium bowl, thoroughly mix ground beef chuck, Cheddar cheese, mayonnaise and dry onion soup mix. Spread even amounts of the ground beef onto the bottom half of each roll. Place top halves on, forming little sandwiches. If you purchased the rolls in aluminum foil pans, you may return them to the pan for baking. Otherwise, place them on a baking sheet or baking pan. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until meat is cooked through.

Saturday, September 6, 2008

I found this VERY simple recipe and Had some Fun Cooking With My Kids this morning:

Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup sugar1 cup Peanut Butter (Creamy)1 tsp vanilla1 egg

Mix together ... Drop on cookie sheet in 1 inch balls

Bake at 250 degrees until brown.

Some thoughts: Super easy for the kids! Ingredients on hand! They seemed to bake realllly slow to me. Maybe too low temp??? I was afraid to change it since it was the 1st time we baked them. I wish I would have timed them....but I didn't. Super yummy--my little girl LOVED them!

EVEN BETTER THAN THE COOKIESwas the teaching moments-- we discussed words like recipe, ingredients, oven, degrees, vanilla, cup, ounces,etc. the process--the kids could handle measuring, mixing, etc. since it was only 4 ingredientsthe prep time -- it was a short process--so they didn't get bored with it.

Do you have a great recipe that is good for getting the kids in the kitchen with you and opening up those teaching moments?? Share it with me. Email me and I'll post it and link to you!

Happy Day with the Kids! Yay for Saturdays!!! Can you tell I have my first in school this year? :)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 2-quart casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat with the canola oil & when the oil is hot, add the onion & celery. Cook & stir until the vegetables soften, about 3 minutes. Stir in corn & cook 2 minutes longer to incorporate. Stir in the soup, salsa & chili powder until well blended.

Add the tuna & cooked pasta, stirring just to coat. Pour into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle the top evenly with cheese. Bake for about 25 minutes or until bubbling. Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Preheat over to 425. Trim crusts from bread & cut each slice into 4 squares. Arrange on baking sheet & brush with oil. Bake 3-5 minutes until pale golden. Remove bread squares. Make 32 stacks, each starting with a square of bread, then a slice of mozzarella, then tomato & basil. Sprinkle with salt & pepper, then repeat, ending with a piece of bread. Push a skewer through each stack & place on baking sheet. Drizzle with remaining oil & bake upright for 10-15 minutes until cheese begins to melt. Garnish with basil & parsley.

Check out LiveLoveEat for more ideas to bring to your table and for pictures!!!!

Planning meals is not easy for me. I am a mom of 3 little ones and married to a wonderful man--but none of them offer any help in this area. For a long time, I have neglected to cook regular meals and many days end up out to eat with my family. I have made a committed to cook more, plan more, and STOP eating out as much.

So, I welcome ANYONE to email me their daily / weekly menus and recipes. It doesn't have to be anything new or exciting---anything will be better than what I have been doing :)

My guess is I am NOT alone in this. Some of us are probably much better at it than others--but we probably could all use some inspiration sometimes.

If you want to be a coauthor of this blog--I welcome you. Just let me know. If you just want to submit ideas...email me. And I'll post them.

Hopefully, this will help us all Bring More to the Table and Spend quality time with our families with quality food :)